It has been proposed heretofore that foodstuffs be cooked through the use of apparatus and in accordance with methods in which conveyors move foodstuffs through cooking apparatus. Particularly with regard to certain foodstuffs, such apparatus and methods have achieved some recognition and success.
With certain types of baked goods foodstuffs, it is important to the quality of the goods produced that cooking or baking be essentially uniform. By way of example, if a relatively great number of items such as rolls, buns, biscuits or the like are to be baked using a cooking apparatus of the general type described, it is important that the baked goods be uniformly cooked in order that a uniform quality be attained. Comparable requirements exist where the cooking involved combines baking and other cooking processes, such as in preparing pizza and the like where successive individual items having both a crust and fillings or coverings must be heated.
Where fillings or coverings are involved such as with pizza, there is an increased likelihood that the covering or filling materials will, during the cooking process, bubble over or melt into the apparatus used. Thus, it is important that provision be made for adequate maintenance and cleaning of the apparatus employed.